Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Well known fact about me: I loathe Christmas. I love the reasons behind it, I enjoy singing carols, hey – I even had a tree. Of sorts. Tea lights count, don’t they? However, I’ve spent far too many decades with a mother making a big deal of Christmas. A very very VERY big deal. Hence, my reaction against it.

In other words, I haven’t posted because I’ve been recovering from the lead up and basic celebrations, not to mention the knitting I needed to do for the day. Highlights include a rather fetching overly yellow tea cosy for Nathan’s grandparents (the colour is to match their kitchen, no really) knitted in three working days, another set of the cabled gloves in pink for my Nana for Christmas and Kirsten’s infamous “Sweet Lord how tacky can this be?” birthday skirt. The poppet wondered if it was for her doll… There are no photos. I can’t do that to society.

Since then, I’ve been knitting my fingers to the bone. Well, not so bad that the glove is back, but that’s partly because my job has become a tad slacker. Also I’ve been working early so I can come home early and knit as much as I want, to all of my fabulous Christmas DVDs that everyone bought me: Nathan contributed the final series of “Press Gang” and “Wives and Daughters”, and due to an influx of Borders vouchers and a 25% voucher I bought the complete set of “Hornblower” and the cut-out book of Unseen University. If I don’t answer your phone calls, it’s because I’m perving. Honest.

However, you’re no doubt interested in hearing about what I’ve been knitting, and whether I’ve actually finished anything. Fear not, gentle readers! I have managed to not only finish projects, but also wear them in public – no really, I’m not joking. The blue cotton tank top was finished without any ado rather swiftly, and I actually had to frog part of it because I’d knitted that far past the length I needed. Wonders will never cease… Actually, wonder of wonders, my mother likes it. Compliments were given. I repeat, wonders….

The next project on my list was inspired by the pink yarn I made my Nana’s gloves from. It was the exact same shade as a pattern in Interweave Knits (Summer 2005) by Lisa Daehlin called “Viennese Shrug” that I had tagged in my magazine collection, so I thought it can’t be that hard… It wasn’t. A provisional cast on, knit left half, pick up right half, done. Started on a Friday, finished by the Tuesday next. 11 days. I amazed myself. And everyone at work who watched me knit it. “So now what do you do?” “Is it meant to look like that?” and the most beautiful words in the world: “Can you teach me to knit?” It was a fun knit – lots of yarn overs, twists, moss stitch edging (I knew I could finally get it right!) and my favourite instruction: “2nd and all alternate rows – purl”. As you can see, though, it’s technically not finished. Blocking and ends to sew away yet, so I’ll give a full body shot in all it’s glory as soon as I get a chance to finish it. *sigh* Once again I managed to get a compliment from my mum, which is always a highlight.

Sadly, the highlight was dimmed when I was reminded of Nana’s birthday. However, I was reminded that the knitted gloves went down very well, so I’m been remanded to knit another tea cosy, which I’m sure you all know how painful it is for me to knit, i.e. not at all. I love tea cosies, they’re beautiful and practical expressions of art. I was at Magnation on Collins Street and bought the latest copy of “Yarn” magazine, simply because of two tea cosy patterns, I’d read “Yarn” before but hadn’t felt the buzz that I needed to buy it. This time I can recommend it to one and all – this issue is stunning. There’s 5 things that I need to make. NEED. The saddest one, the project that made Nathan laugh out loud – coat hanger covers. But they’re pretty and non-craft fair-y. I want them! Anyway, I made the tea cosy just like my mum wanted, but the colours weren’t quite what I had in mind for my nana, despite being beautiful DK variegated cotton. I plan to make another cosy for my mum and use it, and cover it in crocheted cotton pansies and watch her get all gooey. Well, hopefully, she’ll like it.

Nana’s is being made in a much better yarn for her – minty green DK mohair, decorated in daisy wheels using DMC linen in dusky pink and creamy yellow to match Nana’s kitchen. Sadly, however, I have no pictures for you right now, because it’s hiding at Nathan’s place to be handed over to my mum to deliver it to Nana.

Now, whilst I would love to show you my shots of everything mentioned so far, I have a problem: I have no idea where the camera is. It’s in my flat somewhere, which doesn’t really narrow it down unfortunately. Give me 24 more hours and we’re set. That way I can start telling you what I’m working on now.